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Traveling to U.S. Mainland From

Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin

Islands

Last Modified: 

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APHIS prohibits or restricts the movement of many agricultural products from Puerto

Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands into the U.S. mainland. These include most fresh

fruits and vegetables and certain plants, such as flowers.

That’s because these items could harbor a dangerous stowaway—an invasive pest or

disease. Just one piece of fruit or a single plant that is carrying an invasive pest or

disease could lead to millions of dollars in damage to agriculture and the

environment, expensive eradication efforts, lost trade revenue, and higher food

prices.

What To Expect at the Airport

You must present all food, plants, and other agricultural items to the USDA inspector

at the airport before you leave Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands. If your items

are generally allowed, the inspector will examine them to make sure they are free

from pests and disease before you begin your trip to the U.S. mainland.
Inspection Notice for Travelers Coming From Puerto Rico to the U.S. Mainland

(538.47 KB)

Inspección de equipaje requerida para los pasajeros que viajan de Puerto Rico a

los EE. UU. Continentales (517.38 KB)

Hear more about the process to check for and inspect agricultural items:

Common items from Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands NOT ALLOWED into the U.S.

Mainland

Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Fruits (fresh)—All fruits are prohibited except those listed below.

Vegetables (fresh)—All vegetables are prohibited except those listed below.

Pigeon peas (fresh)

Sweet potato

Cut Flowers

Citrus leaves (fresh)

Cotton and cotton cuttings

Plants and Seeds for Planting

Cactus

Citrus and citrus or rue family flowering plants

Plants in soil

Animals and Animal Products

Use the Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant to understand

import requirements for animals and animal products. This self-guided tool

has the most updated and comprehensive information, based on the type of animal

or commodity you want to bring in and the intended use.
Please note that commodities intended for "personal use" mean those in passenger

baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as

"commercial" use.

Miscellaneous

Handicrafts made from palm fronds

Insects (live)

Seed cotton and cottonseed

Seeds or nuts (pulpy)

Snails (land)

Soil

Sugarcane

Agricultural items from Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands ALLOWED into the U.S. Mainland

Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Allium spp. (includes onion, garlic, and chives)

Amaranth, Amaranthus spp. (leaf, stem)

Anise

Annona spp. (pawpaw/sugar apple leaf)

Arracacia xanthorrhiza (Central and South American root vegetable)

Arrowroot

Artichoke, Jerusalem

Asparagus

Avocado

Balsam apple

Bamboo shoots

Banana (fruit, leaf without stalk or midrib)

Basil

Bay leaves, laurel

Beans, shelled (faba, lima, string)

Beans, in pods (faba, lima, string)—Geographic restrictions apply. For more

information, please contact us via the telephone numbers listed below.

Beet
Bitter melon

Brassica oleracea (includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard,

cauliflower, and kale)

Breadfruit, Artocarpus spp.

Breadnut

Cacao bean pod

Cannonball fruit

Cantaloupe

Carrot

Cassava

Celery

Chamomile, Anthemis spp.

Coconut (without husk)

Coffee—Travelers are permitted to bring unlimited quantities of roasted coffee

or green (unroasted) coffee beans without restriction through any continental

U.S. port of entry.

Chayote

Chervil

Chickory

Chinese waternut

Chives

Chrysanthemum spp. (leaf, stem)

Cilantro

Citrus, fresh fruit (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime)

Collard

Corn (on the cob only)

Cornsalad, Vallerianella spp.

Cucumber (includes Angola cucumber, Sicania odorata)

Cyperus corm

Dandelion greens (leaf, stem)

Dasheen, Colocasia, Caladium spp., and Xanthosoma spp.

Eggplant

Endive

Ethrog (fruit)

False coriander

Fennel
Garlic

Genip

Ginger root

Gourd

Guava (leaf)

Herbs (dried or cured)

Honeydew melon

Horseradish, Armoracia spp.

Indigo, Indigofera spp.

Jackfruit

Kale

Kudzu (if not seed, tuberous roots, or stems with node; must not be capable of

propagation)

Lambsquarter

Mint, Mentha spp.

Mushrooms

Mustard greens

Onion

Oregano, Origanum spp. (leaf, stem)

Okra - Geographic restrictions apply. For more information, contact us via the

telephone numbers listed below.

Lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus

Leren

Lettuce

Lily bulb, edible

Lotus root

Maguey

Mangosteen

Marjoram, Origanum spp. (leaf, stem)

Palm heart

Papaya

Parsley

Parsnip

Pepper

Peas, Pisum sativum (in pod or shelled)
Pineapple

Plantain (fruit, leaf without stalk or midrib)

Pokeweed greens (leaf, stem)

Potato

Pumpkin

Purslane

Radish

Rhubarb

Rosemary (leaf)

Rutabaga

St. John’s bread

Salsify

Savoy

Sorrel, Rumex spp.

Spinach

Squash

Stinking-toe (pod)

Strawberry

Sweet potato (leaf only)

Swiss chard

Tamarind bean pods

Taro, Colocasia and Caladium spp.

Tarragon

Thyme

Tomato

Truffle

Turnip

Vegetable marrow

Water chestnut

Watercress

Watermelon

Yam, Dioscorea spp.

Yautia (tanier), Xanthosoma spp.

Note: Commercially canned and thoroughly cooked foods are generally permitted.

All permissible agricultural products are subject to inspection.

Cut Flowers
Flowers (fresh, cut, or dried)

Plants and Seeds for Planting

Plant cuttings and plants without soil

Animals and Animal Products

Use the Veterinary Services (VS) Permitting Assistant to understand

import requirements for animals and animal products. This self-guided tool

has the most updated and comprehensive information, based on the type of animal

or commodity you want to bring in and the intended use.

Please note that commodities intended for "personal use" mean those in passenger

baggage or passenger vehicles. Commodities sent by mail are regulated as

"commercial" use.

Pet Birds

Entry requirements vary depending on the origin of the bird. Visit Pet Travel for

details on the entry requirements for pet birds.

Miscellaneous

Insects (dried or preserved)

Snail shells (if empty and thoroughly cleaned)

Need More Information?

Contact your local USDA or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office for the

most up-to-date information.

USDA Offices (for travelers from Puerto Rico)

Aguada: 787-986-7240

Aguadilla: 787-931–7900

Carolina: 787-710-7282

Ponce: 787-709-4957
San Juan: 787-919-0585

CBP Offices (for travelers from U.S. Virgin Islands)

St. Croix: 340-778-1696

St. Thomas: 340-774-4554